Sunday, August 30, 2015

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Thursday, July 23rd, 2015

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The Guptills came to town for a visit from Utah. They came over for the evening and we had a fun time with them.

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Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015

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A favorite pass time of Gideon’s is to climb all over everything, much to his mother’s dismay.

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Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

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We had a nice time at the temple tonight.

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Monday, July 20th, 2015

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It is hard to get both boys to sit still for even a few minutes, but we managed for a little while during scripture reading time.

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Sunday, July 19th, 2015

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This is a shot from a video we took of Gideon being tossed around. He really had a nice time and he made some good Spiderman posses.

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Saturday, July 18th, 2015

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We finally had a chance to give the van a good cleaning inside and out. Gideon mostly just liked splashing the water and soap bubbles around.

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Friday, July 17th, 2015

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Very early this morning we heard a very loud crashing noise outside. Dana raced out in time to see a car trying to speed away after doing this to a telephone pole across the street. The car somehow was able to still drive and did leave before police could arrive.  They really did a number on that pole.

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Thursday, July 16th, 2015

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Magnus has learned that talking into a fan is quite fun. Plus this is a nice place to sit while it is still very hot out. Dana was also able to go and watch the new movie Ant-Man tonight.

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Wednesday, July 15th, 2015

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Elina found these bobas at an Asian grocery store and gave them to Dana for his birthday. They are incredible. Usually you see them at frozen yogurt places. But again, they are delicious.

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Tuesday, July 14th, 2015

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Ruth went to go see a movie with Elina while Dana watched the boys. We went down to the river to throw some rocks and then we went to a playground. The movie Ruth tried to see was sold out, so they ended up renting one instead.

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Monday, July 13th, 2015

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Dana has a friend at work that has wanted to be taken on an adventure. So, Dana took him to Walupt Creek Falls, a monster of a waterfall that requires a little bushwhacking to get to it. They had lots of fun.

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Sunday, July 12th, 2015

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Sometimes we get a little silly at our house.

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Saturday, July 11th, 2015

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After a trip to the Farmer’s Market, we stopped at the Library to see the Vancouver Tapestry that was made by a local group. The tapestry filled a whole room and depicted Vancouver’s history from its Native American roots to the present. The work was amazing and we had fun seeing the events and landmarks depicted.

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Friday, July 10th, 2015

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Some pretty flowers in our yard.

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Thursday, July 9th, 2015

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When my family had a engagement party for Anton and Krista on July 3rd, Terry noticed Else did not look good and told her to go to the hospital. So she was there for several days getting tests run. We visited when we could and she is already doing much better. Today she came home and we all came over to see her. The doctors are still figuring it out, but we are happy she is feeling better. Plus Gideon is always happy so see his grandparents.

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2015

Happy 9th Anniversary, Dana and Ruth!

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We had a nice time celebrating our anniversary; nine awesome years together. Dana got this fossil coral necklace for Ruth. We also had dinner as a family at Beaches.

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Tuesday, July 7th, 2015

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Ruth completed another bubble quilt for a friend. They are pretty nice.

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Monday, July 6th, 2015

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Another heat wave in the high 90s prompted another trip to our secret swim hole at Nellie Corser. This time Elina and her friend came along; you can see a tiny Elina in this picture. We again had fun in the cool pools and small falls, that is until Dana and Elina got attacked by bees. Everyone was mostly okay after.

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Sunday, July 5th, 2015

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Another late night escapee. He is getting better though.

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Saturday, July 4th, 2015

Happy Independence Day!

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We went to the Ward Fourth of July Breakfast and filled up on pancakes. Then Dana had to work in the evening, but Ruth and the boys went to the Fourth at the Fort with Ivan, Terry, and Elina for the Firework Spectacular.

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Friday, July 3rd, 2015

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Fun in the water at Farmor’s house.

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Thursday, July 2nd, 2015

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We just started to read the Book of Mormon together as a church ward, with a goal to finish it by Christmas.

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Wednesday, July 1st, 2015

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Ruth got to go to a pool party for a church youth activity.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

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Tuesday, June 30th, 2015

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We strung beads today and Magnus made me this bracelet. He told me I should wear it when he gets married.

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Monday, June 29th, 2015

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We have some pretty roses by our house.

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Sunday, June 28th, 2015

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On the hot days we also like to refuge at Else’s house, which is air conditioned. Gideon is playing with a millipede we found at the swimming hole yesterday. He is happy about it. I’m happy I don’t have to touch it.

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Saturday, June 27th, 2015

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The swimming hole is called Nellie Corser. Here is our friend, Brian, enjoying the pleasant water.

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Friday, June 26th, 2015

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We have been having some hot days here in the PNW, so Dana made a plan to go to our favorite secret swimming hole.

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Thursday, June 25th, 2015

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Sometimes Dana catches the kids when they get up in the night. Here was one such occasion. Gideon was less happy to be up in the late hours than Dana was.

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Wednesday, June 24th, 2015

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We came home from Utah with a rolling cookie press. So we had to try it out. Here is a picture of the fruits of our labors.

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Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

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Rainier cherries, so very good!

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Monday, June 22nd, 2015

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I have been planning on recovering these chairs since they were given to us many years ago. And I finally did it! It was a lot of work, but now the kids can eat with abandon! They did that anyway, but now they can spill without making a mess of the chairs.

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Sunday, June 21st, 2015

Summer Solstice!

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In Denmark they celebrate the solstice by burning the effigy of a witch on the beach. We did not go to the beach, but we did enjoy a nice bonfire and roasted marshmallows.

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Saturday, June 20th, 2015

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Dana took the day off work to go hiking with some friends he has made through Facebook who all like to go waterfall hunting. They went to Paradise Falls, which is fairly unknown and difficult to get to, but that makes the hunt all the more fun.

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Friday, June 19th, 2015

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Figuring out a pattern for another bubble quilt I’m making for a friend. This was not the final configuration.

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Thursday, June 18th, 2015

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Magnus and Dana enjoy a good LEGO building experience.

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Wednesday, June 17th, 2015

Happy birthday, Dana!

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We sang to Dana again tonight and enjoyed another slice of cake. We are so blessed and happy to have you as the leader of our family. Thanks for all the fun times! (And Gideon says thanks for sharing your food.)

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Tuesday, June 16th, 2015

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We had to do Dana’s party early because this is when it worked in everyone’s schedule. I made him a three layer Neapolitan cake. It was tasty.

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Monday, June 15th, 2015

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We posted some stuff on Craigslist. This is one of the items we sold. The buyer

was pleased to get it.

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Sunday, June 14th, 2015

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Farmor let us come and pick some raspberries at her house too. It was nice to enjoy a Sunday in our own town again.

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Saturday, June 13th, 2015

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Our raspberries are growing! With all the hot weather we thought we might miss our raspberries at home. But here they are!

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Friday, June 12th, 2015

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This is the odometer from our trip. It was a long drive but we all still like each other.

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Thursday, June 11th, 2015

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Day 19: Our last day on the road took us through Lava Beds NM, a place famous for its caves. We did not have a lot of time to explore, so we chose Symbol Bridge and Big Painted Cave, because they also had pictographs in them. They were pretty cool. Then we finally made it back into Oregon and had a nice rest stop at Salt Creek Falls, the second tallest waterfall in Oregon. We got home just after dinner time. We had a great trip and loved seeing so many beautiful and amazing things.

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Wednesday, June 10th, 2015

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Day 18: After a few more waterfalls in Yosemite, we headed over the Tuolumne Pass, got drenched at the Tuolumne Meadows, and Magnus earned another Junior Ranger Badge. We made it to Devil’s Postpile NM before the rain started again, though by the time we got back to the car we were quite wet. The Postpile was amazing though, and Magnus earned one more badge. Next we walked along the shore of Mono Lake among the Tufas. We then head north and did a quick detour through Carson and Reno, Nevada, stopping to eat dinner. Our night was spent in Susanville, CA.

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Tuesday, June 9th, 2015

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Day 17: Yosemite. We had a great day exploring this great national park, beginning with the magnificent view from Glacier Point. Dana loved seeing some of the best waterfalls in the country, though many were already almost dry, the big ones were still flowing. We had fun climbing around the rocks below Bridalveil Fall. Dana did the hike to Lower Yosemite Falls. And we ended the evening going to a Ranger Program for kids and some ice cream afterwards. We were even lucky enough to get the last campsite available for several weeks in North Pines Campground. Dana had snatched it up just two days before when it suddenly became available. We also had a little rain in the evening.

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Monday, June 8th, 2015

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Day 16: We left Fullerton and headed north to Sequoia and King’s Canyon NPs. We enjoyed the drive past countless fruit tree groves and lunch at In-and-Out. The NP was beautiful. Magnus and Dana climbed to the top of Moro Rock. We drove our van though a giant sequoia log. And we loved the giant sequoia trees. We even walked to General Sherman, the largest tree in the world. Magnus even earned his fourth Junior Ranger badge. As we left the mountains, we were treated to an amazing sunset. We spent the night in Fresno.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

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Sunday, June 7th, 2015

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Day 15: We went to church at the Acacia Park ward (part of the ward Ruth grew up in) and saw lots of familiar faces. It was fun and weird. After church we went out to the Arboretum. We made sure to find the little stone table and this tree, the ombu tree. It was pretty hot and humid, so we couldn’t stay too long.

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Saturday, June 6th, 2015

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Day 14: After packing up camp in Joshua Tree we headed towards Los Angeles. We had lunch at Angelo and Vinci’s and then headed out to see some familiar places around Fullerton. We saw Ruth’s old house and elementary school as well as Acacia Park and the Fullerton Library. Then we drove out to see the Newport Beach temple and then to Corona Del Mar so we could play in the water. After that we drove back in to Fullerton to stay with our friends, The Johnsons (whom we forgot to get a photo of). It was fun to see the old stomping grounds.

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Friday, June 5th, 2015

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Day 13: We started the day needing a laundromat to clean some messes made during the night. That took much of the morning. But eventually we did get to exploring the park. We hiked in Hidden Valley and saw a chuckwalla. After Keys View, we saw the Ocotillo and Cholla Cactus Gardens. Next we hiked to Arch Rock in White Tank. Our last hike was part way up Ryan Mountain (pictured). We watched the sunset at Skull Rock and climbed some more on the rocks by camp. And we loved seeing the Joshua Tree forests all day.

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Thursday, June 4th, 2015

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Day 12: We left Arizona for California, but not before stopping to see the new Gilbert LDS Temple. We got to Joshua Tree NP in the late afternoon. It was fun to see the transition from the Colorado Desert to the Mojave Desert, where the Joshua Trees live. We were able to find a good campsite in Big Rocks to spend the next two nights. We spent the evening climbing around the rocks and discovering all kinds of fun nooks and crannies.